Burnaby's old Brentwood Mall announces when it will officially close
Although it’s already looking like a ghost town, the Interior Centre at The Amazing Brentwood is still open; however, the mall has announced when its official closure will take place.
The Interior Centre, also known as Brentwood Town Centre, first opened to the public in 1961. Initial flagship tenants included T.Eaton Co., Loblaw Groceteria, and Zellers.
The 2013 master plan approval granted Shape Properties the ability to pursue up to 7.96 million sq. ft. of total building area in their redevelopment, now known as The Amazing Brentwood.
This included 3.87 million sq. ft. of commercial uses — retail, restaurants, and offices — and 4.09 million sq. ft. of residential uses, with the developer primarily planning to build condominiums.
The old indoor Brentwood Mall at The Amazing Brentwood. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
The initial phases of The Amazing Brentwood’s construction resulted in closures within Brentwood Town Centre, leaving the mall with few retail options.
When the new mall opened, the popularity of Brentwood Town Centre saw a steep decline as it sat in the shadow of the modern shopping centre, which blends an outdoor retail experience with several prime dining selections and entertainment choices including The Rec Room and Cineplex VIP Cinemas.
One of Brentwood Town Centre’s remaining tenants — London Drugs — also announced its plans to relocate to the new outdoor plaza area in 2025.
The old indoor Brentwood Mall at The Amazing Brentwood. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
In February, development company Shape Properties confirmed with Daily Hive Urbanized that the “Interior Centre” of the old indoor mall is expected to close “this late spring.”
On its website, The Amazing Brentwood stated that the Interior Centre will close in May, including its surface parking lot, as Shape prepares for the site’s next phase of development, which is still being reviewed by the city.
Last year, the developer approached the City of Burnaby with a revised plan to add 4.67 million sq. ft. of strict residential uses, with at least 50 per cent — or 2.36 million sq. ft. — required to secure purpose-built rental housing.
The Amazing Brentwood and SkyTrain Brentwood Town Centre Station. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)
The substantial changes would grow The Amazing Brentwood’s floor area ratio (FAR) density to a floor area that is 10.53 times larger than the size of the mall lot, up from 6.6 FAR in the 2013 concept.
Part of Shape Properties’ now-revised plan includes building two towers reaching 55 to 80 storeys at the core of the site — on the footprint of the existing old indoor mall structure, which would be entirely demolished for not only the two tall towers but also 12-storey base podium structures.
The surface parking lot at The Amazing Brentwood. (Google Maps)
In anticipation of the plan’s approval, The Amazing Brentwood notes that entrances to the Interior Centre will be closed, as well as the following parking areas:
Entrances:
- Level 1: Former CIBC Entrance
- Level 1: Entrance by Brentwood Dental
- Level 2: London Drugs Entrance
Parking
Parking:
- Lower East Lot (Previous Lower Sears)
- Upper North Lot (By London Drugs)
- Upper East Lot (Previous Sears Rooftop)
According to The Amazing Brentwood’s website, the relocation of London Drugs will be “coming soon.”
With files from Kenneth Chan